Vanessa’s Team Pick:

Today is Monday and you deserve a treat because Mondays can be hard. Lucky for us, dapperQ is really invested in helping us treat ourselves via their amazingly perfect and stylish list of The 100 Most Stylish dapperQs that went live just now! According to the site, a dapperQ is “a transgressor of men’s fashion; an authentic, courageous genderbender who uses fashion as a means to expressing our ever-evolving capacity to advance change.” So do you wanna look at 100 photos of really well-dressed dapper humans this fine Monday morning? Duh, of course you do.

a tiny sample from a very dapper selection

In their own words, here’s how dapperQ describes the glorious gift that is this list:

GQ regularly publishes a list of most stylish cis-men. Autostraddle recently posted their list of hot 100 girls who like girls. Vogue has their list of most stylish cis-women. So, isn’t it high time that some stylish dapperQs get some well deserved media recognition and visibility? Here is our list of the 100 most stylish dapperQs. (In no particular order; this is not a ranked list.) If you feel we’ve left someone off, suggest them in the comments section below to nominate them for next year’s list.

Let me answer their rhetorical question by saying YES, CERTAINLY! And also let me say thank you kindly for the shout out to our very own Hot 100 list, and and and let me also take this moment to remind you to check out our sexy ALTERNATIVE Hot 105 list because if you know absolutely anything about me you know that I strongly believe you can never have too many queer crushes.

check out some of the auto representation on the 100 most stylish dapperq list!

Now without further ado I think you should head over to dapperQ and peruse their entire list, because it’s filled with a bunch of really well dressed, really attractive, really impressive dapperQs. The list is a really nice mix of familiar faces and cool new humans I’ve never heard of before, and while I’m sure everyone on there is as lovely in real life as they look in their fancy clothes, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Autostraddle scored some spots on the list (thanks, dapperQ)! Kate/Kade is featured at #49, Nic of kink.com and panelist at A-Camp Sex Panels is #24, and ALL THE A-CAMPERS are featured at #74, represented by an image of Gabby and Katrinalooking fly as fuck in the woods on the mountain because that’s just the way that we live.

Okay, I know this statement isn’t going to be popular but it needs saying anyway…

Trans men don’t belong on this list. Not even kind of. Even if some trans men also ID as queer doesn’t mean they somehow overlap the category of bois or butches. This is very much like Sinclair Sexsmith’s list of “100 hottest butches” from several years back which also included trans men and got a lot of kickback from the trans community. Whatever you claim Dapper Q means, it’s still fundamentally invested in female masculinity and that’s not what trans men are and, yes, if you claim they are, then you are de facto also claiming trans women represent male femininity and that’s bs. This is the same logic which has been used to include trans men in queer women’s spaces and marginalize trans women from them and it stinks.

Even if we go by the definition of “dapperQ” provided at the beginning of the article, there’s nothing “trangressive” or “genderbending” about men dressing in men’s clothes and traditional men’s fashion, and to imply that it is because they’re trans is simply saying that their gender isn’t as real or valid as cis men’s.

i dont disagree with you necessarily, but i do want to point out that the dapperq models are volunteers and many of them identify as trans men. i think they get to decide whether or not they feel comfortable being a dapperq model. as for the “celebrities,” that is another issue.

actually, i do have a thought regarding it being transgressive. the men’s fashion industry does not make clothes with trans male bodies in mind. thus, regardless of gender identity, men’s fashion can still be an issue for trans men.

Nic, my point wasn’t how this Dapper Q list is or isn’t transgressive, rather that the only specific thing these trans men have in common with the rest of the queer women on the list is they were assigned female at birth and how lists like this create a kind of amalgamation and social construction which has a lot of baggage hooked onto it and incorporates a many wrong assumptions. These assumptions go well beyond even individual identities, preferences or style and into a whole bunch of cissexist bs which I’m hoping society (much less gay, queer and trans communities) can get past. Not to mention, some of the people on the list like #22 or #54 seem to be on there not because of how they’re dressing or presenting in a Dapper Q style, but the fact they’re attractive women in a masculine of center way (which is what I think the unspoken subtext of this list really is).

To your second point, what does a trans male body even look like? Believe me, as a tall trans woman who also has a teenage daughter I totally understand the issues surrounding the fashion industry’s ‘eff-up assumptions about marketable bodies and who they make (and don’t make) clothes for. But is that really what Dapper Q or this list is solely about? There are queer AMAB guys who have very ‘non-standard’ bodies and I don’t see them on this list. There are trans women who express much like the Dapper Q style and don’t fit into standard men’s clothes (especially after years of hormones) and I haven’t seen them around these articles. I’m having a hard time believing this entire list is about any queer person with a body who can’t dress in preppy male styles because they can’t find those clothes and rather more about people seen as masculine-of-center AFAB people and how they somehow all fit in the subgrouping of ‘born women… on some level still women.’ Which when flipped over means trans women are “born men/still somehow men.” Yes, this goes well beyond whether some trans dude likes to be seen on the Dapper Q hot list and how women like me get treated and assumptions made about us. How about a separate list of trans men who are into the Dapper Q style instead of mixing them up with women because… well, because we’re somehow supposed to suspect they belong together in some cissexist-assumed way.

See my response below. But also, occupying spaces that have been traditionally denied to you is transgressive. “involving a violation of accepted or imposed boundaries, esp. those of social acceptability.”

I was thinking that maybe they need to add some gay cis men, or even straight cis femmey men, because really what they’re archiving here is a style of performatively self-aware retro masculinity that has been forged primarily by masculine of center women, trans men, and gay men, and that signals participation in a particular culture, but that doesn’t “belong” to one kind of body or gender identity.

i am replying here b/c i couldn’t reply to your response to my post for some reason. i was not originally responding to you, but to GV, who responded to your comment.

i am not directly arguing anything you said. the points i thought should be considered are the fact that most of the ppl on this list (read: anyone that isn’t a “celebrity”), personally chose to model for DapperQ, so their inclusion on the list is b/c they, personally, identify with the site and its mission in some way. Thus, questioning their inclusion on the list is indirectly questioning their own personal identities. it was just food for thought.

second, yes, no two bodies are exactly alike. however, there are some shared difficulties that many (not all) trans men share with many (not all) MOC cis females. i am not making any claims regarding what certain bodies look like. i am just sharing perspective based off of conversations commiserating shared experiences that i have had with a few of the people that appear on this list.

I agree. I’m kind of puzzled by this whole website actually, they seem to feature a lot of transmen which seems to put them in the same category with butch women transgressing men’s fashion. Also, the editor is a femme woman which is puzzling to me.

their mission statement is inclusive of trans* men though, so it follows suit (so to speak!) that this list would include trans* men. “dapperQ is a visibility project that celebrates the inner and outer beauty of masculine-presenting lesbians, gender-nonconformists and genderqueers, and transmasculine individuals of all colors, shapes, and sizes.”

i agree that it can get tricky with the celebrities included, but as nic said, the dapperq models choose to model for dapperq. if they don’t feel like dapperq’s exclusion of cis men invalidates their feelings of masculinity, it’s not our place to tell them that they should feel that way. they can define their masculinity and the spaces they feel comfortable in for themselves.

Jenny, my issue is NOT with how those trans men identify, it’s with grouping all those communities together as if there’s some natural reason they belong together and what that suggests about trans people (men and women) in the process. But yes, there are female-appearing trans women who, in some way, still identify with the gay male community … that’s their business. But I still don’t think it would be cool if some other organization put them on a website as “pretty queers” with a group of gay men because what that does goes beyond their own individual identities and buys into cis social attitudes about trans people. And I beg to differ that their mission statement really includes all genderqueers, transmasculine individuals and gender nonconformists… their demonstrated raison d’etre is about AFAB people who are MOC and that puts the inclusion of trans men in a very problematic space that, from my viewpoint as a trans person, isn’t all made right because everyone identifies as queer.

The list is congruent with the definition of “dapperQ” and dapperQ’s overall mission. dapperQ’s mission is in line with similar sites, organizations, clothing brands, and empowerment projects that are inclusive of transgender men, including bklyn boihood, the Brown Boi Project, Qwear, Marimacho, and many others. All of these projects/organizations/sites/brands are well aware of the differences that exist between butch identified lesbians, masculine gender-queers, and transgender men. (In fact, dapperQ recognizes that there are many other differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, class, etc. that make all of our readers unique and impacts each reader’s individual experiences. That is why there is a need for more targeted projects like Brown Boi. However, our mission is a bit broader with respect to race and ethnicity.) Our goal is to build bridges and community around some commonalities, without denying differences, and our mission is to serve (1) individuals who have been told that masculinity is “off limits” to them/who have been told that identifying as masculine is “wrong;” (2) who want to dress masculine, but face challenges in doing so because of discrimination/lack of access in the fashion world (e.g., being denied access to certain dressing rooms; clothing not being made for certain body types; etc.); among many other issues/topics.

As Nic mentioned, the transgender men featured on the site/list (including some of the more “celebrity” ones, like Ian Harvie and Lucas Silveira) have provided pictures or even participated in dapperQ produced shoots for dapperQ. And, as Nic stated, “questioning their inclusion on the list is indirectly questioning their own personal identities.” Furthermore, dapperQ features, has received praise/support from, and continues to collaborate with very well respected projects/sites, such as Original Plumbing and The Test Shot.

As a blogger, I’ve learned that you cannot please everyone. And, that’s OK. But, the overwhelming majority of feedback dapperQ receives from the dapperQ community has been positive. In fact, when we started, dapperQ received a wave of demand for MORE inclusion of transgender men.

nic & Anita > I should have phrased it better, but my comment was meant to be a footnote to gina’s and not a stand-alone – I am less puzzled by the inclusion on trans men in and of itself, than I am puzzled by their inclusion *along with* the total absence of masculine trans women and MAAB genderqueers. They too have trouble finding men’s clothing designed to fit their bodies (esp.if they’re on HRT), and they too have their identities challenged because of their presentation – like being told that if they aren’t femme then they aren’t actually trans*, that kind of stuff (just like FAAB trans* people face the same critics when they’re anything short of 100% masculine).

How come they aren’t represented on DapperQ? Do you only feature models who seek you out themselves, and none of them did? Did you ever try to approach a few of them or even just mention them on your website to make them feel like they’re welcome there?
Personally that’s the reason why I was a bit upset at seeing trans* men featured, because their inclusion paired with the seeming exclusion of MAAB people makes it look like you’re lumping them in with women on the basis of being FAAB (which beyond individuals’ feelings on the matter is a widespread cissexist view, so if your website is going to even just *look* like it reinforces it you have to really try to counter that).

GV – dapperQ does not intentionally exclude masculine presenting transgender women. Most “models” submit inquiries or contributors recommend people they know or, if brave enough, ask people they see on the street. dapperQ has put out calls for submissions on social media and approached people on the street, without luck thus far. But, if folks have recommendations, they can send it to dapperQ@gmail.com.

Yes, I’ve read the DQ mission statement but I don’t feel as if you’re addressing what my concerns about lumping MOC queer women/butches/bois together with trans men and I don’t think repeating myself is proving of any use here. What I will say is how this list is ‘SInclair Sexsmith’s Top 100 Butches list’ under a different label. I suggest the Dapper Q people go back 4 years ago and review and re-read the strong reactions and kickback from many in the trans community about that list and why including trans men in it was so problematic (and it wasn’t just concerns about putting them all under the heading of ‘butch’). I might also point out that the highly negative reactions to AS publishing that list likely led to this site having any trans content on it at all.

I absolutely agree (thumbs up for that) that trans* women should be included in queer spaces but I don’t think the existence of this project is intended to marginalize trans* women. I think it’s possible that you’re interpreting dapperQ in a way that the founders and project never have? Which is limited to butches/bois/agg/stud/etc. Now if this were a list of top 100 stylish butches, then I think this might be different (as with Sinclair Sexsmith’s list).

anyway from their website:

“dapperQ is a visibility project that celebrates the inner and outer beauty of masculine-presenting lesbians, gender-nonconformists and genderqueers, and transmasculine individuals of all colors, shapes, and sizes. dapperQ does have a fashion focus. But, more importantly, it serves as a vehicle to explore fashion as a social construct, providing our readers and writers with a safe space to document and discuss how gender role expectations, particularly with respect to gender identity and expression, shape who we are as individuals and as a community.

dapperQ is an inclusive website; we welcome all of our queer and straight allies to join the conversation.”

Marika, I totally know and greatly appreciate you’re for inclusion of trans women in queer spaces. But I also want to point out that much of racism/sexism/ablism/homophobia/cissexism isn’t perpetuated from conscious intent… it really doesn’t matter what the intent is, the impact of it is the same. This list doesn’t need to fly the “born women” flag because it’s built into its foundation, the same way the ‘Sexsmith 100 Hot Butches’ list did (yes, even if the stated intent of those two lists is supposedly different). Even the use of ‘queer’ is similarly coded to mean FAAB queer, not anyone who IDs as queer. I applaud their mission of calling out manufacturers on sizing/availability of perceived masculine clothing, of saying that people who like that clothing come in all shapes and sizes and that wearing it or trying it on is anyone’s right. What I don’t appreciate is their recreation of the “born woman” supergrouping (whether it’s out front on the title or not) which ultimately effs up a lot of people in the trans community of all genders.

Fair! I get why that would be upsetting for many people. I guess I always thought that in theory, dapperQ would include butch/dapper trans* women and MAAB genderqueer people (as GV said) but I haven’t seen that yet (that I know of). I don’t want to lump all FAAB queer people into the same boat and that happens SO OFTEN, as you pointed out (and then often is alienating to trans* women). Thanks for sharing your perspective, you are always giving me something to think about. 🙂

If I had $$$ and could get tailored shirts to fit my body and didn’t wear my clothes till they fell apart and washed my pants more than once every six months and had some fashion sense and didn’t feel a bit strangulated by shirts buttoned all the way to the top and had done anything of note with my life then I’d totally be on this list.

we haven’t quite formulated such a list yet, BUT if you wanna show off your broke & scruffy style and talk about yourself a bit, you should submit to be a straddler on the street! the only requirement is that you exist and be willing to talk about yourself on the internet, so no worries about doing anything “of note” (though after talking to 30+ of you guys so far this year i can say with complete sincerity that every single straddler is doing not just one but many things of note, simply by being on this earth every single day — i wish that didn’t sound so corny but i can’t help it and i’m not taking it back because it is The Truth).

Wow. After navigating and addressing some of the most critical geopolitical questions in today’s interdependent world, I never imagined that my greatest challenge would come in the form of the 100 MOST STYLISH dapperQ’s!!! I mean, if only the question of child brides in Afghanistan could generate this much chatter, debate, compromise, and problem solving. I need a minute to read through this binder…

Ok, I love this list!! But, I do take one tiny issue with the fact that my pantsuits didn’t make it.